The Biggest Mass Exoduses of People In History

When a massive emergency strikes and the people has no other choice left for survival, a mass exoduses often happens.

Mass migration and mass evacuation, are just some of the terms used to relate to the mass exoduses of people in the history. People decide to move from one place to another to avoid the danger of being involved in a disastrous event be it natural or man-made. A mass exodus occurred most often during the early history when wars spark and a certain area is put into chaos. There are some of the most influential and the biggest exoduses of people in history that people usually regard as the â??Great Exodusesâ? which includes the Barbarian Invasions, the Great Migration from England, the California Gold Rush and the Great Migration of African Americans.

The Barbarian Invasion happened during the era of the Roman Empire from 400 to 800 AD and was regarded to be the period of intensified migration of people in Europe. The mass exodus of people in Europe was a result of the barbarian invasion— the time when they cannot take the inhumane treatment of the barbaric tribes. This mass exodus came in two phases, one that happened between 400-500 AD and the other from 500-800AD.

Another notable mass exodus of people in history is the Great Migration in England, also called the Puritan Migration. The Puritans questioned the lack of religious freedom and religious tolerance in England which made them decide to move out of the place and land on the other countries in Europe where they believe they could find the religious freedom that they wanted. About 80,000 people participated in this great migration and fled to countries like Ireland, New England, etc.

One of the biggest mass exoduses of people that happened in the history includes the California Gold rush. The mass exodus started on the 24th of January 1848 when James W. Marshall found gold at Sutterâ??s Mill, Coloma, California. The gold discovery brought about 300,000 people from different parts of the world who were hoping to find gold too. The exodus brought many changes to California as it transformed San Francisco from a small settlement to a large base of gold seekers in a very short period of time.

The Great Migration of African Americans is another notable mass exodus that would never be taken aside in the course of history. About 6 million African Americans were involved in the occurrence of the mass exodus that fled from Southern United States to West, Northeast and Midwest. The primary cause of the mass exodus was discrimination, unequal working conditions, integration and segregation of the white Americans from the African Americans.